1. Get a paper lunch bag and decorate it front and back. We used a star stencil, but you can use stamps, stencils, paints, whatever. Just keep your colors in the red white and blue theme. Let you kids be creative in decorating the bags. We were pressed for time and the kids wanted to swim so they kept it simple( and quick).

2. Get some newspaper and ball up a couple pages and jam it up into the top of the bag so it will stay open. It will stay in there on its own if you have enough and jam it pack it well.

3.Tape red white and blue streamers to the inside bottom of the bag. Ours were about a couple feet long but as long as they are long enough to blow nicely they will be fine.

4. Lastly we cut too slits in the very top of the bag and put a strip of construction paper through( they chose either red or blue paper) for our handle. Just tape the ends together into a loop.

Here is the finished product. It took maybe 15 minutes

( depends on how crafty the kids want to be in decorating the outside of the bag)